At the White House, Going the Extra Mile in Hybrid Fords

David Plouffe, Joe Sheridan (owner of Sheridan Ford) and David's brother, Michael Plouffe, pose with David's new Ford Fusion hybrid.

Just in time for Earth Day: Another energy-efficient car in the Obama camp. The president and his press secretary, Robert Gibbs, own Ford Escape hybrids -- although Obama won't be behind the wheel of his for years. Last weekend, former campaign manager David Plouffe traded in his Infiniti for a Ford Fusion hybrid. Really, what PR-savvy political type doesn't drive one these days?

Plouffe felt that "given all that is going [on] that I should buy American and hybrid if possible," he wrote in an e-mail. Another reason? His brother works at a Ford dealership in Delaware and said the company had finally developed a good hybrid. Bet he got a great deal, too.